1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to handles and similar attachments for various devices, and more particularly to an ergonomic appliance handle that provides an ergonomic improvement to a vertically oriented canister style vacuum cleaner or other floor appliance.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vertical canister type vacuum cleaners are widespread in use in homes, commercial settings, and many other places. Vertical canister type vacuum cleaners (canister vacuums) generally have a cylindrical main housing disposed vertically on a plurality of wheels, some or all of the wheels being pivoting or caster type wheels. The housing contains a motor and vacuum mechanism, as well as a collection receptacle, such as a filter bag, or a bag-less drum or water reservoir. An intake opening and an exhaust opening in the housing are connected to the vacuum mechanism, whereby air, along with dirt, particulate matter, and other objects are drawn into the collection receptacle, the air being discharged through the exhaust opening.
In use, a proximal end of a flexible hose is attached to the intake opening. The distal end of the hose is used, generally along with a cleaning attachment, accessory, or power nozzle, attached to the distal end for cleaning tasks.
Canister vacuums are advantageous over traditional upright vacuum cleaners. Because cleaning accessories, including power nozzles such as for vacuuming, shampooing, or steam cleaning carpets, are essentially separate from the main housing, they are of relatively light weight. Thus, a person operating the canister vacuum may maneuver the cleaning accessory at the end of the flexible hose during cleaning tasks, within the range of freedom of the hose, without the need to maneuver the main housing. In contrast, operating an upright machine requires a user to maneuver the machine's entire weight. Thus, because a canister vacuum requires only movement of the relatively lightweight hose and cleaning accessory during much of a cleaning task, the canister vacuum presents a lighter workload and less mechanical strain on a user's body, and in particular on a user's back. A user may remain in an upright posture, expending minimal strength to perform cleaning tasks, presenting an ergonomic and body-mechanical advantage.
Of course, during the course of operating a canister vacuum, it will become necessary from time to time to move the main housing itself, as the hose and cleaning accessory reach their maximum extent from the main housing. Generally, the main housing is simply pulled along by the hose to a new position wherein the hose and cleaning accessory are again operable unencumbered by the main housing.
During the course of moving a canister vacuum, some situations are encountered that compromise the ergonomic advantage of the canister vacuum. As a canister vacuum is pulled from place to place by its hose, the canister vacuum trails the user by the length of the hose. To draw the canister vacuum closer, the user may need to bend, twist, or stoop to reach along the hose to pull the canister vacuum closer, contorting a normal and comfortable posture. Such actions place a strain on the user's body and in particular the lumbar-sacral area of the user's lower back.
Additionally, as a canister vacuum is pulled from room to room, or area to area, the canister vacuum's wheels are likely to encounter obstacles such as carpet edges, door thresholds, and the like that prevent further rolling movement of the canister vacuum. Simply pulling harder on the hose risks pulling the hose free from the main housing, or tipping over the canister vacuum entirely. Either case requires a corrective intervention by the user to either re-attach the hose, or to upright the canister vacuum, both operations requiring bending and/or twisting by the user that present the potential for back strain and other bodily injury. The alternative to pulling harder on the hose to overcome the obstruction is to lift the canister vacuum over the obstruction, again risking back strain or other injury. In addition to the obstacles of carpet edges, door thresholds, and the like, additional obstacles, such as furniture, require the user to stop and bend, stoop, or twist to guide the canister vacuum around the obstacles. Also, on certain flooring surfaces the caster wheels may tend to guide the canister vacuum in an erratic path as it is pulled, requiring the user to intervene to prevent the canister vacuum from bumping walls, furniture, and such.
An additional drawback to moving a canister vacuum by simply pulling the canister vacuum along by its hose is that, because the hose is flexible, the canister vacuum cannot be pushed, or maneuvered backwards, by the hose. Again, user intervention is required that requires the user to bend, stoop, twist, or stretch in a manner that may cause injury.
Various handle configurations have been employed to provide an ergonomic advantage for vacuum cleaners and other types of floor appliances.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,742,222, issued on Jun. 1, 2004 to T. Furr-Britt et al., discloses a dual handle attachment for an upright floor appliance. A single central bracket attaches to the conventional single handlebar of an appliance, such as an upright vacuum cleaner, with a left and a right handgrip adjustably extending from the central bracket. The dual handle attachment allows a user to maneuver the appliance using generally symmetric upper body, arm, wrist, and hand forces.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,897,607, issued on Aug. 5, 1975 to R. Schaffer et al., discloses a readily removable implement handle for a vacuum cleaner, tool, floor scrubber, sweeper, or other device. Insertion means disposed on the handle releasably engage with receiving means affixed to the device, the handle including a locking means in the form of a spring.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,071, issued on Apr. 16, 1996 to R. Berfield, discloses a U-shaped handle that is attachable to a motor housing of a vacuum apparatus to carry or lift the appliance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,364, issued on Oct. 13, 1998 to J. Sham, discloses a detachable handle accessory for a handheld portable steam vacuum cleaner. The handle accessory includes a support base for mounting the portable steam vacuum cleaner, a handle portion extending upwardly from the support base, and a wheel assembly affixed to the support base. The handle converts the handheld portable steam vacuum cleaner into an upright steam vacuum cleaner.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2002/0124347, published on Sep. 12, 2002 and applied for by J. Roney et al., discloses a telescoping handle built into an upright vacuum cleaner.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0124345, published on Sep. 12, 2002 and applied for by S. Holsten et al., discloses a vacuum appliance having push and pull handles. The vacuum cleaning appliance is generally of the canister vacuum configuration. A first handle is disposed on a first side of the vacuum appliance, a second handle being disposed on a second side of the vacuum appliance generally opposite the first side.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2003/0101534, published on Jun. 5, 2003 and applied for by M. Noreen et al., discloses a canister-type vacuum cleaner having a collapsible handle attached to the housing that is adjustable to the height of a user and positioned so that the user can use the handle to move and guide the vacuum cleaner housing.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2003/0229964, published on Dec. 18, 2003 and applied for by S. Thompson et al., discloses a handled cart that receives a wet/dry vacuum and converts the vacuum into an upright walk behind cleaning device. The cart provides a handle attached to a mobile base.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,026, issued on May 5, 1987 to W. Sumerau et al., discloses a convertible vacuum cleaner handle that is convertible between a first position suitable for floor standing operation and a second position suitable for hand carried operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,850,667, issued on Dec. 22, 1998 to J. Orsini, discloses an extension handle for a portable vacuum that includes an elongate shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, and a bracket for attaching the shaft to the handle portion of a portable vacuum. The distal end of the shaft is pivotally retained in the bracket such that an on/off switch on the portable vacuum may be operated by the pivoting of the shaft to activate and deactivate the vacuum.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, an ergonomic appliance handle solving the aforementioned problems is desired.